BCM executive director resigns, new board is named

J. Smith resigned his post as executive director of Big City Mountaineers at the organization’s October board meeting.

In a brief statement issued by BCM, the board thanked Smith for his three years of service and pointed out that during the time he served as executive director, BCM increased the number of youth wilderness trips and expanded into new regions such as California.

An active search is currently underway to hire a new director who is “passionate about wilderness, has a keen interest in serving inner-city teens, and has skills in management, fund raising, and public relations,” Riley Etheridge, BCM’s new board president, told SNEWS.

During the October meeting, BCM also named its new board for the coming year. Joining ongoing board members Etheridge of Merrill Lynch, Skip Yowell of JanSport and Dawn Goers are new board members Bill Stoehr of National Geographic Trails Illustrated, Chris Lenner of GoLite, Michael Hodgson of SNEWS, Sean Laughlin of JanSport, Randy Schilt of JanSport, and Barry Danielson, a Denver, Colo., businessman. Yowell was named vice president, and Goers, a Colorado businesswoman is the new secretary.

“BCM is excited about the upcoming 2003 trip season,” Etheridge said. “In addition to naming a new executive director, BCM will deepen its commitment to several core cities by locating part-time paid staff to work with both volunteer trail guides and the local youth organizations.

“As the new president of the BCM board, I am grateful for all of our outdoor industry partners whose generosity make these life-changing trips possible for kids across the country,” Etheridge added.

For more information about BCM, go to www.bigcitymountaineers.org, or send an email to info@bigcitymountaineers.org.